Chiller

ABSTRACT

A chiller is provided that may include a case; a vapor compression type cycle apparatus installed in the case and including first and second heat exchangers that heat-exchange with first and second heat transfer mediums, respectively, the vapor compression type cycle apparatus including a condenser that serves as the first heat exchanger, an evaporator that serves as the second heat exchanger, a compressor, and an expansion device disposed between the condenser and the evaporator, respectively; a blower configured to supply air to the first heat exchanger; and a liquid spray device configured to spray liquid onto the first heat exchanger.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a), this application claims priority to Korean Application 10-2010-00013919, filed in Korea on Feb. 16, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

A chiller is provided.

2. Background

Chillers are known. However, they suffer from various disadvantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a frontal view schematically showing a chiller in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chiller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing an inner structure of a chiller according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view schematically showing an inner structure of a chiller according to another embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a view showing an installation example of the chiller of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Description will now be given in detail for embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Generally, a chiller (cooling apparatus) may be categorized as a water-cooled chiller or an air-cooled chiller according to a radiation method of a heat transfer medium. The water cooled chiller radiates heat by spraying a heat transfer medium from a cooling tower, whereas the air cooled chiller radiates heat by contacting a heat exchanger where air flows through a heat transfer medium.

In the water-cooled chiller, high-temperature cooling water heated by being heat-exchanged with an indoor space is radiated outside, and then is heat-exchanged with ambient air. Through these processes, cooling water is cooled to a low temperature, and then re-used for cooling. The heat transfer medium can be cooled to room temperature using minimum energy in correspondence to temperature changes of ambient air. However, a hermetic evaporation type cooling tower requires a tank that stores cooling water to be sprayed, a water tank that collects the sprayed cooling water, and a pump, thus requiring a complicated structure. Further, because a source of cooling water to be sprayed is required, an installation place is limited. In a case that the water to be supplied is of a bad quality or an installation place is inferior due to, for example, dust, exhaust fumes, and/or salt, corrosion or scales may occur in the apparatus pipes. This may require regular repair.

On the other hand, the air-cooled chiller does not require a tank that stores water to be sprayed, a tank that stores the sprayed water, or a pump, because water is not sprayed onto a heat exchanger. As a result, corrosion or scales due to spraying do not occur at the heat exchanger. Accordingly, the air-cooled chiller may be repaired more simply than the water-cooled chiller. Further, because the air-cooled chiller requires no pump to supply cooling water, power consumption may be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 1, an air-cooled chiller may include a case 1, a refrigerating cycle disposed within the case 1 and including a compressor 2, one or more condenser(s) 3, an expansion valve 4, and an evaporator 5, and a plurality of suction fans 6 a and 6 b disposed on an upper or side surface of the case 1 and configured to perform heat exchange with the one or more condenser(s) 3 by sucking ambient air. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of condensers 3 may be installed in a ‘V’ shape when viewed from a side surface. The suction fans 6 a and 6 b may be disposed at an upper opening between adjacent condensers 3.

In the air-cooled chiller of FIG. 1, a refrigerant compressed by the compressor 2 into a high temperature and high pressure refrigerant may be radiated from the condenser(s) 3 by using air as a heat transfer medium. Then, the radiated air may be made to have a low temperature and a low pressure by the expansion valve 4. Thereafter, the low-temperature and low-pressure air may be heat-exchanged with water at the evaporator 5. Through these processes, generated cooling water may be supplied to a space to be cooled as a heat source for cooling.

In contrast to the water-cooled chiller which radiates heat using a cooling tower, the air-cooled chiller does not require a cooling tower and connection pipes. Accordingly, the air-cooled chiller is advantageous with respect to an installation area and an installation cost. However, since ambient air is used as a heat source, the air-cooled chiller has to be installed on a rooftop of a building or on the ground and has to radiate through a condenser. Accordingly, when the ambient air has a high temperature, radiation is not smoothly performed. This may lower a condensing efficiency, and thus, degrade performance.

Hereinafter, a chiller, which may be referred to as a “hybrid type” chiller, according an embodiment will be explained in more detail.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing an inner structure of a chiller according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, the “hybrid type” chiller 100 may include a case 102, which may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a plurality of bent holes 104, which may be formed at upper parts of both sides of the case 102. The bent holes 104 may be inclined upwardly to prevent the introduction of, for example, raindrops. However, the bent holes 104 are not limited to this configuration; that is, the bent holes 104 may have any configuration to perform communication with ambient air.

A partition wall 106 configured to horizontally partition an inside of the case 102 may be installed in the case 102. An inner space of the case 102 may be divided by the partition wall 106 into a radiation space 110 and a cooling space 120. A blowing opening 112 may be formed at an upper portion of the radiation space 110, and a blower or blowing fan 114 may be installed in the blowing opening 112. The blower 114 may be configured to blow ambient air to a condenser 130 to be later explained, or to suck the ambient air from the condenser 130. The blower 114 may form a stream of ambient air on a surface of the condenser 130.

The condenser 130 may be installed below the blower 114 and may extend in parallel thereto, and may constitute a cooling cycle apparatus together with an evaporator 132, an expansion device 134, and a compressor 136 installed in the cooling space 120. A refrigerant may flow in the condenser 130, and circulates through the expansion device 134, the evaporator 132, and the compressor 136.

A cooling water inlet 132 a and a cooling water outlet 132 b may be respectively, formed at the evaporator 132, and cooling water used to perform a cooling operation may be introduced into or discharged from the evaporator 132. The introduced cooling water may be cooled through heat exchange with a refrigerant cooled in the evaporator 132, and then supplied to a space requiring cooling or a cooling operation. Because the refrigerant and the cooling water flow through additional channels in the evaporator 132, they may not be mixed with each other but introduced into or discharged from the evaporator independently.

Water may be stored at a lower part of the radiation space 110, and a pump 140 that pumps the stored water may be installed below the radiation space 140. The water pumped through the pump 140 may be supplied to a plurality of spray nozzles 144, for example, four spray nozzles, as shown in FIG. 3, disposed above the condenser 130 through a plurality of pipes 142. Then, the supplied water may be sprayed to the condenser 130 through a plurality of spray nozzles 144. The sprayed water may be heat-exchanged with a high-temperature refrigerant passing through the condenser 130, thereby enhancing a heat exchange performance at the condenser 130.

The spray nozzles 144 may be implemented as atomization nozzles to spray water in the form of minute liquid drops. Atomized water may be easily evaporated from a surface of the condenser 130, and may absorb, from the refrigerant, heat by an amount corresponding to the evaporated amount. This may enhance a heat exchange performance. Because heat exchange performance is enhanced due to the spray nozzles 144, a size of each of the condenser and the blower may be reduced, and thus, an entire size of the chiller may be reduced.

The water sprayed to the condenser 130 may be collected to or at a lower part of the radiation space 110 along a surface of the condenser 130. During this process, some of the water may be evaporated and discharged outside. Accordingly, as a usage time of the chiller becomes longer, the level of the water stored at a lower part of the radiation space 110 decreases. If the water level becomes too low, water supply to the condenser 130 may not be smoothly performed. Accordingly, the water has to be periodically supplemented.

For this, a water supply pipe 150 may be penetratingly installed on a side wall of the radiation space 110. The water supply pipe 150 may be connected to an external water source, such as a water supply facility, and may be configured to supplement water when a water level is low. An ON/OFF valve 152 may be installed near an end of the water supply pipe 150, thereby controlling water supply through the water supply pipe 150. The water supply may be manually performed by a manager through periodic checks. Alternatively, the water supply may be automatically performed as shown in FIG. 3. More specifically, a level sensor 154 may be installed on an inner wall of the radiation space 110. When a water level becomes lower than a predetermined level, this status may be detected by the level sensor 154, and the ON/OFF valve 152 may be opened to automatically supply water. In addition to the level sensor and the ON/OFF valve, a water level controller using buoyancy may be utilized and applied to a water closet (flush toilet).

With this embodiment, the cooling water is cooled by being heat-exchanged with a refrigerant, and a refrigerant having a high temperature may be cooled by using water at or in the radiation space. Accordingly, even if an installation space of the chiller has temperature changes, the entire performance of the chiller is scarcely influenced. More specifically, in the conventional hermetic evaporation type chiller which directly heat-exchanges cooling water with ambient air, the cooling water having undergone a heat exchange process has a large temperature difference according to an ambient air temperature. On the other hand, in this embodiment, a high-temperature refrigerant passing through the condenser may be cooled by being heat-exchanged with indoor air and a water supply source. Accordingly, even if the chiller is installed indoors, radiation may be smoothly performed at the condenser.

The water sprayed on the surface of the condenser may be evaporated by ambient air supplied by the blower, thereby enhancing a heat exchange performance. This water evaporation may be accelerated when the ambient air has a high temperature. Accordingly, a radiation performance of the chiller may be scarcely influenced by changes in ambient air.

The conventional cooling tower has a limited installation space because a large amount of cooling water has to be delivered to a place where the cooling tower is installed, generally, a rooftop of a building. However, in this embodiment, the cooling tower may be installed in a mechanical room, which may enhance a degree of freedom.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the radiation space and the cooling space are provided in one case. However, embodiments are not so limited; that is, the radiation space and the cooling space may be provided in two cases.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view schematically showing an inner structure of a chiller according to another embodiment. Like reference numbers have been used to indicate like elements, and the repetitive disclosure has been omitted.

Referring to FIG. 4, the chiller 200 according to this embodiment may include a first case 210 corresponding to the radiation space of the previous embodiment, and a second case 220 corresponding to the cooling space of the previous embodiment. The first case 210 may include the aforementioned blower 114, the condenser 130, the pump 140, the spray nozzles 144, the water supply pipe 150, and the ON/OFF valve 152, and may be configured to serve as one radiation device.

Likewise, the second case 220 may include the aforementioned evaporator 132, the expansion device 134 and the compressor 136, and is configured to serve as one cooling unit or device.

Two connection pipes 242 a and 242 b may be provided to constitute a cooling cycle apparatus with the condenser 130, the evaporator 132, the expansion device 134, and the compressor 136. The connection pipes 242 a and 242 b may connect an inlet and an outlet of the condenser 130 inside the first case 210 to an outlet of the compressor 136 and an inlet of the expansion device 134 inside the second case 220, respectively.

With this configuration, the first and second cases 210, 220 of this embodiment may be disposed in the same space or in different spaces. For example, in summer when an ambient air temperature is high, as shown in FIG. 5, only the first case 210 may be installed on a rooftop (RT) of a building, and the second case 220 may be installed at or in a mechanical room (MR) of the building, the MR having a relatively lower temperature. The first and second cases may be connected to each other by the connection pipes 242 a and 242 b.

With this installation configuration, the second case including the evaporator may be arranged at or in a low temperature region, thereby minimizing loss of cool air to be transferred to cooling water to high-temperature ambient air. This may enhance the efficiency of the chiller. Further, a refrigerant having a smaller flow amount than cooling water may circulate between the first and second cases. This requires no pipes having a large capacity different from a case in which cooling water directly circulates. Accordingly, the chiller may be easily installed even in a small space.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a chiller capable of enhancing heat efficiency.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a chiller that may include a case; a vapor compression type cycle apparatus installed in the case, and including a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger that heat-exchange with a heat transfer medium to cool; a circulation apparatus configured to circulate the heat transfer medium via the second heat exchanger; a blower configured to supply ambient air to the first heat exchanger; and a liquid spray device configured to spray liquid to the first heat exchanger.

With the disclosed embodiments, not only ambient air, but also sprayed liquid may be heat-exchanged at the first heat exchanger. This may allow a larger amount of heat to be exchanged on a same surface of the heat exchanger. The sprayed liquid may be evaporated from the surface of the heat exchanger, and latent heat generated during this evaporation process may be supplied from the heat exchanger. This may enhance a heat-exchanging efficiency. With this configuration, even if ambient air has a high temperature, heat exchange may be smoothly performed at the first heat exchanger. This may enhance a cooling performance and an apparatus efficiency, and may reduce a size of the heat exchanger, thereby enhance an installation characteristic of the chiller.

The vapor compression type cycle apparatus according to embodiments disclosed herein may include a condenser that serves as the first heat exchanger, an evaporator that serves as the second heat exchanger, and a compressor and an expansion device disposed between the condenser and the evaporator, respectively.

The liquid spray device may be configured to spray liquid to the condenser between the blower and the condenser. The liquid to be sprayed may be water.

The liquid spray device may include one or more spray nozzles disposed between the blower and the condenser; a liquid reservoir provided on a bottom surface of the case; and a pump configured to forcibly transfer liquid stored in the liquid reservoir into the one or more spray nozzles. The liquid sprayed to the condenser may drop to the liquid reservoir provided on the bottom surface of the case, and the liquid collected into the liquid reservoir may be re-supplied to the spray nozzle through the pump, thus to be circulated.

The chiller according to embodiments disclosed herein may further include a liquid supplying device configured to supply liquid to the liquid reservoir. The liquid supplying device may compliment liquid lost during a circulation process, and may include a level sensing device that senses a level of liquid, and an ON/OFF valve. The liquid supplying device may be configured to open and close the ON/OFF valve according to a level detected by the level sensing device.

According to another embodiment disclosed herein, there is provided a chiller that may include a radiation unit or device including a condenser configured to radiate heat outside, a blower configured to supply ambient air to the condenser, a liquid spray device configured to spray liquid to the condenser, and a first case configured to accommodate therein the condenser, the blower, and the liquid spray device; a cooling unit or device including an evaporator configured to absorb heat from cooling water, a cooling water circulation apparatus configured to circulate cooling water via the evaporator, and a second case configured to accommodate therein the evaporator and the cooling water circulation apparatus; and a vapor compression type cycle apparatus including the condenser of the radiation unit or device, the evaporator of the cooling unit or device, and an expansion unit or device and a compressor installed at one side of the first and second cases. Refrigerant pipes may be connected between the first and second cases.

The vapor compression type cycle apparatus may be accommodated in two cases in a distributed manner, and may be connected to each other by the refrigerant pipes. This may allow the radiation unit and the cooling unit to be installed at different positions, which may enhance a degree of freedom. For instance, the radiation unit may be installed at or in an outdoor room, and the cooling unit may be installed at or in an indoor room having a relatively lower temperature. This may allow a peripheral temperature of the evaporator to be relatively low, which may enhance the efficiency of the chiller. The first and second cases may be connected to each other by the refrigerant pipes. Accordingly, an installation area may be significantly reduced when compared with a case in which pipes for cooling water are connected to and between the first and second cases.

The chiller according to embodiments disclosed herein may have a minimized installation area, and high efficiency due to enhanced radiation performance.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art. 

1. A chiller, comprising: a case; a vapor compression type cycle apparatus installed in the case and including first and second heat exchangers that heat-exchange with first and second heat transfer mediums, respectively, the vapor compression type cycle apparatus comprising a condenser that serves as the first heat exchanger, an evaporator that serves as the second heat exchanger, a compressor, and an expansion device disposed between the condenser and the evaporator, respectively; a blower configured to supply air to the first heat exchanger; and a liquid spray device configured to spray liquid onto the first heat exchanger.
 2. The chiller of claim 1, wherein the first heat exchange medium comprises a refrigerant and the second heat exchange medium comprises water.
 3. The chiller of claim 1, wherein the second heat exchanger comprises: a circulation apparatus configured to circulate the second heat transfer medium via the second heat exchanger.
 4. The chiller of claim 3, wherein the liquid spray device is disposed between the blower and the condenser.
 5. The chiller of claim 4, wherein the liquid spray device comprises: one or more spray nozzles disposed between the blower and the condenser; a liquid reservoir; and a pump configured to transfer liquid stored in the liquid reservoir to the one or more spray nozzles.
 6. The chiller of claim 5, wherein the liquid reservoir is provided at a lower portion of the case.
 7. The chiller of claim 5, further comprising: a partition wall configured to partition an inside of the case into first and second spaces, wherein the first heat exchanger, the blower, and the liquid spray device are arranged at or in the first space.
 8. The chiller of claim 7, wherein the liquid reservoir is located at a lower portion of the first space.
 9. The chiller of claim 5, further comprising: a liquid supplying device configured to supply liquid to the liquid reservoir.
 10. The chiller of claim 9, wherein the liquid supplying device comprises: a water supplying pipe connected to a water supply source; an ON/OFF valve installed at, in, or on the water supplying pipe; and a controller configured to control an operation of the ON/OFF valve.
 11. A chiller, comprising: a first device, comprising: a condenser configured to radiate heat; a blower configured to supply air to the condenser; a liquid spray device configured to spray liquid onto the condenser; and a first case configured to accommodate therein the condenser, the blower, and the liquid spray device; and a second device, comprising: an evaporator configured to absorb heat from water; a water circulation apparatus configured to circulate the water; and a second case configured to accommodate therein the evaporator and the water circulation apparatus; and a vapor compression type cycle apparatus including the condenser, the evaporator, an expansion device, and a compressor installed at or in one of the first and second cases, wherein refrigerant pipes connect the first and second cases.
 12. The chiller of claim 11, wherein the liquid spray device is disposed between the blower and the condenser.
 13. The chiller of claim 12, wherein the liquid spray device comprises: one or more spray nozzles disposed between the blower and the condenser; a liquid reservoir; and a pump configured to forcibly transfer liquid stored in the liquid reservoir into the one or more spray nozzles.
 14. The chiller of claim 13, wherein the liquid reservoir is provided at a lower portion of the case.
 15. The chiller of claim 13, further comprising: a liquid supplying device configured to supply liquid to the liquid reservoir.
 16. The chiller of claim 15, wherein the liquid supplying device comprises: a water supplying pipe connected to a water supply source; an ON/OFF valve installed at, in, or on the water supplying pipe; and a controller configured to control an operation of the ON/OFF valve.
 17. A chiller, comprising: a refrigerant compression type cycle apparatus including first and second heat exchangers that heat-exchange with first and second heat transfer mediums, respectively; and a cooling device configured to cool the first heat exchanger using liquid and air.
 18. The chiller of claim 17, wherein the first heat exchange medium comprises a refrigerant and the second heat exchange medium comprises water.
 19. The chiller of claim 17, wherein the cooling device comprises: a blower configured to supply air to the first heat exchanger; and a liquid spray device configured to spray liquid onto the first heat exchanger.
 20. The chiller of claim 17, wherein the second heat exchanger comprises a circulation device configured to circulate the second heat medium. 